Moldova makes more wine than it can reasonably drink, in more styles than any single guide can carry. This almanac is our reading of it. 9 regions, ranked the way we'd visit them; the houses our critics keep returning to; and a short list of restaurants where we'd spend the evening.
Moldova
Moldova
9
364
96
The country, in numbers and adjectives.
The terroirs, by hand.
8 regions worth the trip first — chosen by the Femente desk for the houses we’d open with, the variety of styles within each, and the cooking that grew up around them.
Moldova
The wines pivot between old Soviet cellars and boutique ambition—Rieslings and Pinot Noirs emerging from underground galleries where…
Wine of Moldova
8 estates working under the regional appellation.
Valul Lui Traian
The Danube floodplain here yields wines of unusual ripeness—reds that fill the mouth with plum and earth, whites that hold stone and…
Codru
The continental plateau of Codru swings between mineral-driven whites and structured reds, with sparkling wines that capture the region's…
Cahul
Cahul's reds lean toward dark fruit and earth rather than ripeness, shaped by continental swings and the pull of the Danube's climate…
Cricova
Cricova's limestone cellars produce wines that split the difference between restraint and ripeness—reds with grip, whites with density,…
Etulia
Etulia's reds carry the weight of continental extremes—deep tannins and high alcohol from long summers, tempered by cool nights that…
South Eastern
Here's a lede for South Eastern: Red wines dominate the region, yet its character emerges through tension between ripe, fruit-forward…
The country’s house grammar.
The 8 styles Moldova makes most of, ranked by bottle count on Femente. The bar beneath each cell shows that style’s share of moldova’s production.
22
Romanian White — the country’s most numerous bottle.
9
9
6
5
2
2
2
The houses that keep showing up.
8 Moldova estates the prestige critics have agreed on — ordered by the count of 95+ scores across Vinous, Decanter, Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator.
Where to spend the evening.
12 rooms across Moldova our editors keep coming back to — chosen for the cooking and the wine list, in that order.
Zincenco Kitchen
European — Chișinău
82
Trattoria della nonna
Italian Style · Traditional — Chișinău
40
Рестораны «Ла Токанэ» • Тирасполь • Рыбница
Grill · European — Tiraspol
40
Poiana Bradului
Traditional · European — Colonița
40
Restaurant Paradis🤍
European · Traditional — Drochia
40
RESTAURANT | DROCHIA | EVENIMENTE | NUNTA
European — Drochia
40
BASM - Barrels & Smoke
Barbecue · Grill · Traditional — Bălți
40
Пицца Рыбница
Pizza · Italian Style — Rybnitsa
40
Restaurant OSCAR Bălți
European — Bălți
40
Restaurant NOROC Bălți
European · Traditional — Bălți
40
Complex Turistic CODRU
European · Traditional — Seliște
40
La Padure | Restaurant | Chisinau | Durlesti | Golden Park
Street Food · Traditional · European — Durlești
40
Add Moldova to your cellar journal — or pick a region and start walking.
A short note in your inbox when we add a new region, find a winery worth crossing town for, or open a tasting we’d send you to. No noise. Just the ones we’d book ourselves.